H.S. FOOTBALL: Greencastle-Antrim set to host West Perry

Thursday

Oct 4, 2012 at 12:00 PM

By Ben Destefan

GREENCASTLE — The schedule isn't getting any easier for the Greencastle-Antrim varsity football team.

Coming off a 21-7 loss at Northern York last week — the Blue Devils' first divisional defeat since 2009 — G-A now welcomes an up-and-coming West Perry squad to Kaley Field for a Mid-Penn Colonial Division showdown Friday night at 7:30.

Entering the second half of the season, both teams have had their triumphs and tribulations, with the Mustangs (3-2, 1-1 MPC-Colonial) holding a one-game advantage over G-A (2-3, 1-1 MPC-Colonial) in the overall win column.

Each has also split their first two Colonial contests, as West Perry lost to Shippensburg (31-22) before beating winless Big Spring (35-14) a week ago. On the flip side, the Blue Devils were unable to build upon any momentum gained from their 50-3 trouncing of Gettysburg in Week 4, surrendering 14 points in the fourth quarter against Northern, allowing last Friday's contest to slip away in the closing moments.

Despite having won the last five meetings against West Perry, dating back to 2007, G-A head coach Chuck Tinninis understands the current challenge awaiting his team Friday night.

"We had a few bad breaks last week and came up on the short end of a good football game," Tinninis said. "Overall, I thought we played hard and now we have to put that behind us. West Perry is another solid opponent that is going to pose another big challenge. Our job is to be ready for it."

Aside from limiting turnovers, two keys will likely determine whether or not the Blue Devils are able to get back on track against the Mustangs. Offensively, G-A needs to showcase consistency by moving the ball on the ground while attempting to utilize both the legs and arm quarterback Austin Scott. Defensively, the game plan will revolve around containing West Perry signal caller Zach Smith, who has accounted for 15 total touchdowns thus far, including nine rushing.

"As always, we have to take care of the ball and play smart on offense," Tinninis said. "We need to control the line of scrimmage in order to get our running game going and everyone needs to take care of their assignments. Their quarterback (Smith) is a very good athlete, and as he goes, they go. They're a physical team that's well-coached, so we need to be up for the challenge."

Anchoring G-A's ground attack will be the trio of Ashtin Byers, Adam Moore and Hunter Szaflarski. Byers and Moore have split the majority of the workload to this point, combining for 87 carries and 462 yards, with Szaflarski being implemented more out of the backfield in recent weeks. The probable return of Josh Young and Kareem Aiken, who have both been sidelined with injuries, should also bolster the Blue Devils' 'ball-carrier-by-committee' approach.

West Perry will likely counter with a rushing attack heavily reliant on Smith and fullback Kurtis Rider, a duo that has shouldered a significant amount of the Mustangs' production. Both have routinely reached double-digit carries through the first five games, with Smith racking up 478 yards to Rider's 399.

The Mustangs also offer a capable receiving corps with the combination of Chase May and Keeghan Morrison already catching 35 passes for 520 yards and six touchdowns.

G-A's big-play ability through the air rests in the hands of Joel Zola, with three of Zola's nine receptions on the season resulting in touchdowns.

Of note, in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Friday's game will serve as G-A's annual 'Pink Out' event with spectators encouraged to wear pink in support of the cause. Shirts recognizing the occasion will be sold at the gate while supplies last, with donations also being accepted to benefit the cause.

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